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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFIoE.,

WILLIAM'. B. LITTLE, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

SIGN.

Specification of Letters :Patent No. 32,195, dated April 30, 1861.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, VILLIAM B. LITTLE, of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Sign; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a front view of my improved sign. Fig. Q, is a transverse section taken in the vertical plane indicated by the red line' a?, @c in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

My invention and improvement in signs refers more especially to those which are used for out-door purposes, the object being to produce a sign which will be both useful and ornamental as a day, and a night sign, and by the aid of a light placed be hind it at night the lette-ring will be visible and intelligible for some distance.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and'operation.

My improved sign may be constructed wholly or 4partially `of metal.

In the drawings, A represents the sign board, behind and secured to which is a box a, c, a, which should be made of thin sheet metal with one of the sides hinged so that access can be had to the interior of the box. The top and bottom of this box should be perforated so as to allow a draft of air to circulate `through the box. The sign board A is made of any suitable wood and the letters forming'- the sign are marked out on this board and then cut through the board, the edges b, Z), of the letters flaring or beveling outward as represented in the drawings.

IVhen the letters are each cut through the board A, as described, a plate of semitransparent glass B, or other suitable substance which is semi-transparent is placed at the back of board, A, behind the letters as seen in Fig. 2, and suitably secured in its place.

After the outside surface of the sign is painted, the flaring edges of the letters,

forming the sign, are gilded, bronzed, silvered or covered with any suitable surface which is found most suitable for reflecting duced and secured by screws or otherwise to board A. The flaring edges of the cast metal letters should be polished or finished up as described for the edges of the letters which are simply cut into the sign board.

A sign may thus be constructed which will present a nea-t andornamental appearance as a day sign, and by placing a light behind Athe letters at night, as represented in Fig. 2,

the entire surface of the letters will be illuminated in consequence of the light shining through the glass B, forming the back of the letters, on the beveled metallic surfaces forming the edges Z), of the letters.

The back part of the sign board A, being closed in by the boX a, cr, a; the light will be confined within this boX and only shine through the semi-transparent backs of the letters.

The perforated gas tube C, represented in Fig. 2 which extends longitudinally through the box will be found more suitable for my sign than single tube light.

I am aware thattransparent or illuminating block letters, projecting from the sign have been used and these I disclaim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- WM. B. LITTLE.

Witnesses:

C. W. CowTAN, M. M. LIVINGSTON. 

